Willow Green Academy, Knottingley
Willow Green Academy is a primary school for pupils aged 3 to 11 in Knottingley, part of Delta Academies Trust. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in March 2014. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in September 2023 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 5th-highest of the 6 schools in Knottingley with published results, and 8,950th of 14,452 across England. It was 98% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- In line with England
- Ofsted
- Good (2014)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- In line with England
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 81 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Wakefield (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Willow Green Academy in detail
Results
In 2025, 70% of Year 6 pupils at Willow Green Academy reached the expected standard in reading and 77% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 75% and 75% in Wakefield and 77% and 75% across England.
Results were similar in 2024 (63% in reading, 80% in maths).
With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.
Getting a place at Willow Green Academy
For September 2026 entry, 25 families put Willow Green Academy as their first choice and 55 named it as one of their preferences, for 27 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Willow Green Academy are The Vale Primary Academy (0.8 miles, Outstanding, 80% reading, 80% maths); Ark Orchard Head Primary School (0.9 miles, Good, 96% reading, 96% maths); Brotherton and Byram Community Primary Academy (0.9 miles, Good, 76% reading, 52% maths); and Simpson's Lane Academy (1 mile, Good, 84% reading, 84% maths).
Willow Green Academy's 2025 results were higher than 1 of these 4 schools.
The Vale Primary AcademyArk Orchard Head Primary SchoolBrotherton and Byram Community Primary AcademySimpson's Lane Academy
The trust
Willow Green Academy is one of 64 schools run by Delta Academies Trust, an academy trust.
Across the trust's primary schools, 73% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths in 2024/25.
Who goes there
4.8% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Knottingley Rail Station, about 0.9 miles away in a straight line.
7 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Windsor Drive, 170 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Willow Green Academy stands in is among the 20% most deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
In August 2026, police recorded 81 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and vehicle crime. That is well below the typical figure around schools in Wakefield (130).
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Willow Green Academy issued 13 suspensions, 5.6 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Willow Green Academy are Airedale Academy (1.5 miles) and De Lacy Academy (1.6 miles).
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE multi-academy trust performance data; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; DfE exclusions statistics
Location
Every family who put it first was offered a place for 2026 entry, so distance did not limit places that year.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 3 years agoThis judgement is from March 2014, 12 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Latest (ungraded) inspection: The school remains Good and may be improving; its next inspection will be a full graded one.
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its March 2014 inspection - up from Requires Improvement.
Rated Good for
Leadership & management.
At a Glance
27.2%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has improved from 63% to 70% (2024 to 2025). Maths has remained stable at around 77% (2024 to 2025). Writing has declined from 87% to 83% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
28.9
Avg class size
28.0
Infant (KS1)
29.5
KS2
7
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Willow Green Academy
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Willow Green Academy from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Willow Green Academy is in Wakefield; for families living there:
- Wakefield's school travel policy: Home To School Transport Policy
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 3
- Fatal
- 1
- Serious
- 1
- Children hurt
- 2
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 3 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 1 serious and 1 slight.
2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt.
1 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included.
The typical figure for schools in Wakefield is 13 (the median across 157 schools, same distance and years).
Serious and slight counts use the Department for Transport's severity adjustment, which allows for changes in how police forces record injuries; they are estimates, rounded to whole numbers. Distances are in a straight line. Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19), Open Government Licence v3.0.
Commute and house prices
Your chances of a place at Willow Green Academy
Will you get a place at Willow Green Academy? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Willow Green Academy's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Willow Green Academy:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Willow Green Academy.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Wakefield, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Willow Green Academy for 2014 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Wakefield got their first choice, and how often appeals there succeed.
- The nearest state schools to your home, with Ofsted rating, demand and last distance offered where published.
- Key dates for September 2027 entry and how to apply.
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Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
98%
Near capacity
205 pupils
210 places
5 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Knottingley
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Knottingley
Across Wakefield council
Places available
4,391
Applications
3,654
Got 1st preference
94.4%
Got preferred school
99.1%
All primary applications across Wakefield council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(3)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
37
SEN Support
9
EHC Plans
20.2%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
228
Total Pupils
129
Boys
99
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
9
Teachers
25.3:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£47,912
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,508
Per pupil
£1297k
Total funding
£88k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
5.0%
Overall absence
9.9%
Persistent absence
181
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Secondary Schools Nearby
Secondary schools pupils are likely to move to
Willow Green Academy
Questions parents ask about Willow Green Academy
What are SATs results like at Willow Green Academy?
Of the pupils at Willow Green Academy who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 70% reached the expected standard in reading and 77% did so in maths.
What is Willow Green Academy's Ofsted rating?
Willow Green Academy's most recent Ofsted inspection, in September 2023, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in March 2014, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Willow Green Academy?
No fixed boundary. When Willow Green Academy is oversubscribed, Wakefield allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Willow Green Academy?
Willow Green Academy was close to full in 2025, at 98% of its capacity.
How big are the classes at Willow Green Academy?
Classes at Willow Green Academy average 28.9 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Willow Green Academy?
Willow Green Academy has around 228 pupils on roll. 27% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Willow Green Academy?
5% of sessions were missed at Willow Green Academy in 2024/25. 9.9% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Willow Green Academy?
Apply through Wakefield's coordinated admissions process, naming Willow Green Academy on your application. Applications for Reception places starting in September 2027 close on Friday 15 January 2027, and offers are made on Friday 16 April 2027.
How many road collisions happen near Willow Green Academy?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 3 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 1 serious and 1 slight. 2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt. 1 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included. The typical figure for schools in Wakefield is 13 (the median across 157 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Willow Green Academy?
Willow Green Academy is at Hampden Close, Knottingley, WF11 8PT.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)